Horace Ether Coltrin

BURLEY – Horace Ether Coltrin, a 96-year-old resident of Burley, passed away peacefully in his home on the morning of Monday, March 17, 2025.

Horace was born on November 25, 1928, in Burley, Idaho, to Ira H. and Ocea Lewis Coltrin, the sixth of eight children. He grew up in Pella and worked on the family farm and attended Burley schools. He graduated from Burley High School the class of 1947. After attending Albion Normal College for a semester, he set off for the British Isles to serve a two-and-a-half-year mission in England for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

After returning home from England, Horace enrolled briefly at the University of Idaho in Moscow, then transferred to Brigham Young University and enrolled in the United States Air Force ROTC. While at BYU, Horace met and began dating Jean Starley, also from Burley. Both Horace and Jean graduated from BYU in 1954, and they were married on August 13, 1954, in the Idaho Falls Temple.

Before entering flight school in the Air Force, Horace taught band at Raft River High School in Malta and Jean taught Home Economics at Burley High. In 1955, Horace entered flight school and, for the next eight years, Horace flew fighter jets among many aircraft including the F-100 Super Sabre. The Coltrins were stationed in many locations, including Mississippi, Florida, Arizona, Germany, Luxembourg, and France. Janet was born in 1955 and Bonnie came along seven years later in 1962.

In 1964, Horace retired from the Air Force and bought the home and farm in Springdale where they have lived ever since. After settling down in Burley, Jeff and Bill were born in 1965 and 1968 respectively.

Horace began teaching school in Declo and was later hired as the principal. Horace served as the principal of Declo Junior and Senior High Schools for 21 years. During those years, he taught government at DHS and positively influenced hundreds of youth.

Horace was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many capacities including Bishop’s counselor, Bishop, counselor in the stake presidency, stake patriarch, and primary teacher. In their later years, Horace and Jean served full-time missions in Veracruz, Mexico and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Horace enjoyed aviation most of his life, and built an RV-6 aircraft in his garage and flew it for many years. However, Horace and Jean’s favorite activities were spending time with their four children, 13 grandchildren, and 29 great-grandchildren.

Horace was preceded in death in 2021 by his wife of sixty-six years, Jean, and by all seven of his siblings.

Horace is survived by his four children, Janet (Jim) Burch of Oakley, Bonnie (Dee) Jones of Burley, Jeff (Flora) Coltrin of Burley, and Bill Coltrin of San Diego, California.

The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 28, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Declo Idaho Stake Center, 213 W. Main Street, in Declo, with Bishop Tyler Silcock officiating. Burial will follow at Pleasant View Cemetery in Burley.

Family and friends will be received from 5 until 7 p.m. Thursday, March 27, at Rasmussen-Wilson Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th Street, in Burley, and at the church on Friday, from 10 until 10:45 a.m. preceding the service.

A live webcast of the Funeral Service will be available and maintained at the following link: https://youtu.be/2o0minCZgYM.